The Big Squeeze
Joe Friday and Bill Gannon interrogate a known gangster. Can they get him to talk or will he beat the rack? Story Act 1 It is November 28, 1967 Friday and Gannon are working the night shift in Intelligence Division. On the docket tonight the interrogation of George Fox a known gangster and con artist. Fox is 30 mins late he finally shows up at 7:00 PM. Fox comes in and takes a seat and he starts wisecracking right away. Friday plays hardball and starts pulling out a photo of him and Paul Carter. Fox says he doesn't know him and Friday knows that Fox is lying. They continue to interrogate him and Fox leans back in his chair and smokes a cigar. Act 2 Fox still won't talk so Friday and Gannon decide it is time to play the tape. On the tape Fox and Carter are shaking down Tom Tracy the owner of a local electronics store. Tracy refuses to give the gangsters their money. The tape ends with Tracy hanging up his phone. Fox ask what's going on? Friday tells him it is an extortion that has just started. Friday continues to grill Fox and Fox tells Friday what he did is illegal. Gannon tells Fox that the phone tap was legal and Tracy gave him permission to set it up. Friday then rewinds the tape and puts in the second one. Act 3 Friday and Gannon continue to interrogate Fox but he's still not talking but wisecracking about what he did. Friday decides it is time to play tape number 2. On the tape we can clearly hear Fox and Carter extorting Tom Tracy and we can hear Fox's voice as clear as day. Friday stops the tape Fox once again ask what is going on? Gannon this time tells Fox that that was his voice they heard on the tape. Friday removes the tape and puts in the final tape and plays it. On the tape we hear Tom's voice and we also hear the unidentified voice of a male later identified as Jack Rock. Friday stops the tape and Fox ask who was that voice on the tape? Friday tells him that it was Jack Rock and goes into an explanation about what an extortion is. It means in the dictionary to squeeze or to muscle somebody until they hand over money or talk. Friday also tells Fox that the voice that they heard on the tape was his and then he pulls Fox's voice print out of the envelope. It is a direct match and is Fox arrested. Sentencing Fox later confesses his crimes and tells Friday and Gannon he killed Paul Carter and buried his body in a toolbox in the Mojave Desert. Jack Rock was never found. George Fox is found guilty of murder, extortion, and racketeering and is sentenced to death. George Fox is now incarcerated in the California State Prison San Quentin California also known as the Q Prison awaiting his death sentence.